America: “Heritage II: Demos/Alternate Takes 1971 – 1976” (2020) CD Review

Record Store Day was originally scheduled for April 18th and then was moved to June 20th because of the pandemic, and then moved again because of the continuing pandemic. Now it is scheduled for three different days. One of the records scheduled to be released on August 29th (the first of the three days) is America’s Heritage II: Demos/Alternate Takes 1971 – 1976, an album full of previously unreleased material, the follow-up to the 2017 release Heritage: Home Recordings/Demos 1970 – 1973. (which was also later released on vinyl as part of 2018’s Black Friday Record Store Day). While you wait for your vinyl copy of the new release, the CD is now available. The CD, by the way, contains a couple of tracks that are not on the vinyl release. The tracks are presented somewhat in chronological order, and the disc contains liner notes by Gerry Beckley.

The CD opens with a demo of “Cornwall Blank,” a song that would end up on the group’s second LP, Homecoming. There is a bit of banter at the beginning of the track. This demo has an undeniable power, an intensity that is striking. Plus, I dig that guitar part. This was recorded in 1971. It is followed by the track that will likely be the biggest draw for America fans, “Jameroony,” a seriously great acoustic guitar jam, also recorded in 1971. There is a bit of talk at the beginning of the track, and then a whole lot of great guitar playing. Nearly thirteen minutes of it, in fact. Sometimes they are moving at full force, and then will relax slightly as they change directions, but the track is never dull, not for a moment. Then we move to 1974 with a demo of “Mandy,” which at first features just piano and vocals. “Mandy, don’t you think it’s kind of sad/The way good things must go bad/Like the love we used to have.” This song really draws us in.

This disc includes a track mix of “Tin Man” with the “Ooooh” backing vocals, as well as a few other lines. Obviously, this sort of thing is for serious fans. It is also one of the tracks that won’t be included on the vinyl release. “Tin Man” was included on America’s 1974 LP Holiday, and was also released as a single, becoming one of several hits for the group. That’s followed by a demo of “What Does It Matter,” another song from Holiday, and then “You,” also from Holiday. This is an interesting track, vocals and strings, giving us a sense of how the song is constructed. Again, this is for serious fans, and is just under two minutes. “Mad Dog” is a delightful song from Holiday, and on this release we get a demo of it, with backing vocals. There is a hesitant start, with some studio banter. That’s followed by an alternate mix of “Simple Life,” a song that was released as a single and also included on Highway: 30 Years Of America, a three-disc box set. This is a full band track, with David Dickey on bass, and Willie Leacox on drums. Ah yes, the simple life does sound appealing, doesn’t it? This track is from 1975.

We then move to songs from the band’s 1976 LP Hideaway, basically skipping the 1975 LP Hearts (though apparently “Simple Life” was included as a bonus track on one version of that release). The first of the Hideaway songs is a demo of “Lovely Night” that was recorded in 1974, with Gerry Beckley on vocals and keys. That’s followed by “Today’s The Day,” with a false start on the first take, so the bulk of the track is the second take. This also features the full band, including David Dickey on bass and Willie Leacox on drums. This song has a sweet sound, and some instructions are given to the musicians at various points, again giving us an idea of how the song was created. We also get an alternative mix of the third take of “Amber Cascades.” “How does everybody feel?” is asked at the end. That’s followed by an alternate mix of “Letter.” I love the bass line of this song, which begins this track and is prominent throughout. This track features a full band, which includes, in addition to David Dickey and Willie Leacox on bass and drums respectively, George Martin on piano. George Martin also produced the Hideaway album. This is a seriously cool mix, and is one of my favorite tracks on this disc. The last track listed on the CD case is an alternate mix of “Jet Boy Blue,” one of the tracks not included on the vinyl release. But there is actually one more track. The disc’s final track is a commercial for America’s Gold, a greatest hits compilation, “a superb collection of the greatest hits from their nine best-selling albums” for only $9.98. And indeed, this ad reminds you of just how many great songs this band has had.

CD Track List

1. Cornwall Blank
2. Jameroony
3. Mandy
4. Tin Man
5. What Does It Matter
6. You 
7. Mad Dog
8. Simple Life
9. Lovely Night
10. Today’s The Day
11. Amber Cascades
12. Letter
13. Jet Boy Blue

Heritage II: Demos/Alternate Takes 1971 – 1976 was released on CD on April 24, 2020, and will be released on vinyl on August 29, 2020.